Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for September 21, 2010

Feel the power of the Dark Side.

if you can’t beat it, litigate it.

Gee, it looks to me as though the anti-ekert is a long-nosed Evil Genius, the Head of Mega-Conglomecorp!

Better try an anti-viral… Antibiotics don’t work against viruses! Take one dose of Danae, once a day should be sufficient!

Is that Nixon at the Bar? I love it!

I googled the ekart and am now thoroughly confused.

Is there a quasi-ekart that spreads confusion by quantum entanglement?

Definitely Nixon. Funny!

Bobiwan?

A lawyer feeling ripples in the force, hum, I was assuming all these fellows were already deep on the dark side…

As for antibiotics and viruses, that really gets on my nerves: we are misusing these weapons of the human kind, we are pouring antibiotics in our rivers and on our fields, by using them on perfectly fine cattle “just in case”, or using them for curing virus infections “just in case”. It’s like giving away our precious weapons, it’s like disclosing vital intelligence to the enemy. And bacteria ARE learning.

May the schwartz be with you! :D

@Christian, Well stated. Too many people run for antibiotics when all they have is a bad cold. Anti virals work on viruses (which colds are caused by) but they don’t work all that well, are expensive and should be reserved for really bad viruses (like hanta virus, new strains of influenza etc.) It really irks me to see so many resistant bacteria developing because antibiotics are not only miss prescribed, but also too frequently people stop taking them once they start to feel better even though the bugs are just in lower numbers, not gone. Then they get a rebound illness that is worse and harder to treat. Bacteria are crafty little “bugs”; evolving rapidly. Darwinism at work.

Bob does look like Nixon (I want to make that perfectly clear). Like Christian Mercat I too am troubled by the overuse of antibiotics. that overuse lessens their effectivness.

Bob is Joe’s brother and a lawyer. (And a Nixon look alike.) LOL

Hey, you don’t have Dick Nixon to kick around any more. Besides, he wasn’t that evil (exiting Vietnam, entering China). Now Danae,

the anti-ekert shall be a diminishing crawling mouse filling people with bad attitude?

Mickey?

Are antibiotics effective against viruses?

A virus is not affected by anti-biotics. At. All. Ever.

That’s why we can’t cure the common cold.

Please get it right for our sake.

coot,, I understand some are. (According to a doc who gave me a very strong antibiotic for a viral infection. Two days had me feeling much better from what the emergency room Dr. had called in my family to my deathbed).

nope nope nope. capn eddie to the rescue! he put the ekert in the shed to start with, didnt he?

I don’t know what they gave my dog when he came down with parvo, back when he was a pup, but he recovered and lived 16+ healthy and happy years.

Parvo is a terrible illness for a dog and can be prevented with a vaccine from the vet. It’s also a lot cheaper (for the owner) and less painful (for the pup) to get the shot than an emergency room and days on an IV.

Anti-biotics do not impact viruses directly. Viruses frequently make the victim vulnerable to opportunistic bacteria that cause infections. When anti-biotics are given, they combat the bacteria/infections, and give the body time to develop antibodies to combat the virus.

This is what occurred in both Justice22’s and mightaswellbe’s examples. In both cases, the anti-biotics dealt with the bacteria/infections and combined with other supportive care gave the victims bodies time to work on the virus.

Vaccines are what are used against viruses. Virtually all vaccines are developed from either dead viruses or severely weakened live viruses. They are introduced to the host and stimulate the development of antibodies.

@RCMinor

Yeah, that does sound like what Jesus said.

A lot of talk about viruses etc. I read the following in a doctor’s office some time ago (paraphrased).

When we come down with a cold or other congestive virus our bodies elevate our temperature to kill them and generate histamines to flush them out. Viruses can “live” only in a narrow temperature range. So what do we do? Take temperature lowering drugs and antihistamines to stop the flow thus prolonging the infection.

Ain’t we smart?

Tanya said, about 7 hours ago

May the schwartz be with you! :D

The schwartz being the dark side of the force?

Actually, given what he’s drinking, might that be a force in the Ripple?

prrdh

Do you want to know the Schwartz? Watch ‘Spaceballs.’ A vetry dumb but funny movie.

Ripple? Is there a Grateful Dead concert soon?

Maybe the morons ARE going to do the “right” thing, just like our “brilliant” society, give out “anti-ekert” anti-biotics, cut short the treatment time and make the Eckert MORE powerful, and overcome the forces of selfishness, error, cruelty, and stupidity!!

too bad Wiley does not know that antibiotics work only on bacteria while vaccines work on viruses….Science Rules

Another misuse of antibiotics is when the user starts feeling better and quits taking them halfway through the course. That means that some of the bacteria die, but others don’t get knocked out, but have a chance to multiply–and the overall resistance of the strain increases.

Uhhhhhmmm… you can’t kill a virus with antibiotics.

Probiotics

Huh, ironic. I just had to start a round of antibiotics today (stupid sinus infection that just won’t go away). Tried everything the doctor suggested, for a week, and it just keeps getting worse. It hit my bronchia and I lost my voice. So, bring on that mold-product (fortunately, I am able to take penicillin products.) Don’t worry, I ALWAYS complete my prescribed courses of medications. No supergerms get to incubate in me!

This whole sequence reminds me of the Alec Guinness movie, The Man In The White Suit. In that movie, Alec Guiness invents a fabric that never wears out and never gets dirty, something that sounds entirely positive, but all of the entrenched interests turn out to be against it. The story of the Eckert has similar overtones.

This whole sequence reminds me of the Alec Guinness movie, The Man In The White Suit. In that movie, Alec Guiness invents a fabric that never wears out and never gets dirty, something that sounds entirely positive, but all of the entrenched interests turn out to be against it. The story of the Eckert has similar overtones.